Claudia Orenstein

Claudia Orenstein is a Professor in the Department of Theatre and Performance at Hunter College, City University of New York, where she conducts pioneering research in puppetry studies and material performance.

She holds a Ph.D. in Directing and Critical Theory from Stanford University (1993).

Her research spans contemporary and traditional puppetry practices globally, with specialized focus on ritual forms in India and Japan. As founding editor of Puppetry International Research, she has shaped scholarly discourse through seminal works including Reading the Puppet Stage (2023) and co-edited anthologies exploring gender, spirituality, and cross-cultural performance traditions.

Her scientific awards include:

• UNIMA-USA Nancy Staub Award 2022
• ATHE Excellence in Editing Award Short-List 2020
• Fulbright Research Fellowship 2021-22

Professor Orenstein mentors emerging scholars in puppetry studies and serves on the board of UNIMA-USA while acting as Associate Editor for Asian Theatre Journal. Her dramaturgical work includes Stephen Earnhart's Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and collaborations with Japanese kuruma ningyō masters.